EvangeCube: a Tool for Ned Flanders

Its called the EvangeCube and its the cheesiest evangelistic tool in THE ENTIRE WORLD. Beyond cheesy. This is the storytelling tool that Ned Flanders may have inspired. And when its creator Tom Doyle passed a box of EvangeCubes around the room last month in Switzerland, I cringed, and kept on cringing. Then he made us go through the storytelling of the gospel by opening and closing this crazy box with the kitch drawings of a 1950's Jesus. I never stopped cringing.

Marc Van der Woude was there. Ever since he brought his EvangeCube home, he has been trying to hide it from his kids (unsuccessfully). I have the same problem. My kids discovered mine, took it out of the box, and have been playing with it ever since. They had to figure out the story by themselves because their Dad could not do it without throwing up. Luckily, EvangeCube has an online demonstration for children with reluctant parents.

The Skinny?
Well, the EvangeCube is the LAST thing I would show my pagan friends down at the local, but it is actually a big hit in the Middle East, where thousands of people have heard and understood the story of Jesus - AND THATS COOL, unlike the EvangeCube which is a cheesy tool that is aware of its cheesyness - even its creator called it “hokey”. And its probably hokey enough to be a collectable item one day when religious kitch fashion shows its funky head. Thats why, in a sick kind of way, I am glad that I have an EvangeCube.

Comments

[Justin Baeder]

That was my reaction when I first heard about it. Glad it's helpful to some people...but please don't let them find one among my possessions when I die.

[david]

Yeah, I was cringing inside when the leaders of our India team trip introduced them last year. Then, I stood there with my mouth wide open as hundreds of Indians chose to follow Jesus over and over again as our team used this simple tool...http://www.revolution242.com/india

[Alpha]

the Bible says something about God using the foolish things of this world... : ).

I've never "used" my EvangeCube, but I think it's cute. whatever, though, the news from the Middle East and India is heartening.

[dave]

I boughgt one afew weeks back after seeing it in the xian bookshop. It was one of those "oh my god how bad is that" moments so had to buy it, it ook it to the youth pub i run to show the other leaders. we all had right laugh over its cringiness. But then a couiple of non churched guys picked it up and couldnt stop playing with it. They read the instructions and then gave me a presentation on "the gospel" with it. Maybe all the effort and energy i puit into multi media, interactive youthwork which is supposed to be so"hip n trndy" needs to be thought thru a bit. I think sometimes we underestimate the people we are working with. i'm sure if i had attempted to use the cube properly and forced the presentation on them i da have had my head kicked in by them! lol

[andrew jones]

dave, that hilarious!!!

and David - glad to to hear of your good experience in India.

[will]

I have an EvangeCube from last year's CBA convention. My kids, like everyone else's, want to play with it and I have had to hide it. It is quite the collectors item.

[jeff j.]

I used to work (don't flame me!) at a "family"store. When these first came in, I was absolutely furious. It was (to me) the lamest piece of crap I had ever seen. I couldn't believe we carried it, yadda yadda, etc...After having them for @ 6 months, a kid came back from an overseas mission trip (India, I think) and told me about the 100's of people that had accepted Jebus because of it. It was a hard change of mind for me to have.

[marko]

at the Kidz day at the San Diego Billy Graham-fest a couple years ago, they had a giant (like, 15 feet high) evangicube on stage, but replaced the pictures with the colors of the old Child Evangelism Fellowship wordless book. It was, quite simple, the single worst presentation of the gospel i have ever witnessed. i wanted to cover my kids ears. Most hilarous/disturbing was the new PC replacement of "black" reprsenting sin to blue, as in "you blew it!", which the presenter said over and over again, as the giant cube got moved around by (ready?) larry the cucumber and bob the tomato.

[beingrealguy]

Ok...yep I thought it was pretty lame too. However the week I got it I was asked to share the gospel with an inner city unchurched basketball team that just God done watching the Passion of the Christ. I used it to try to explain why Christ had to die. To a group of unchurched teens is was surprising effective and some of the teens invite Jesus into their lives that day.